Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes

Meatloaf was always a favorite in my house growing up. My father would make meatloaf and mashed potatoes for my mom every Valentine’s day, and so to me, meatloaf will always be a Valentine’s day dinner. This is a classic Meatloaf that many make. I also made the mashed potatoes following the recipe I posted this thanksgiving, I just halved it. I also made a packet of instant gravy.

Wash, peel, and cube about 6 medium potatoes (about 5 cups). Preheat oven to 400 F.
Place potatoes into a pot and rinse 1-2 times, then fill pot with warm water and place over medium-high heat.
Toast 2 slices of bread. Place 1 lb of ground beef into a small casserole dish. Add to it, the two pieces of toast shredded (or about 1/2 cup of bread crumbs), 1/4 cup diced onion (1/2 a small onion), 1 egg, 3 Tbsp A1, and 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce. Mix with your hands until homogeneous then form into an loaf. In a small bowl, mix together 3 Tbsp A1 and Ketchep, then spread over meatloaf. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until an internal temp of at least 160F.
Once the potatoes are boiling or the water starts to get starchy, it should take about 20 minutes. The potatoes are done when you can stab a large piece with a fork, and the potato splits and falls off the fork. If you want less chunky mashed potatoes cook for an additional 3 minutes.
Strain your potatoes then put in a large bowl to beat with a hand mixer, or put in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Start pulsing low speed and add 1/4 a cup of milk and 1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup).
Once most of the big chunks are broken up, turn your speed to medium-low and slowly add more milk until you reach your desired consistency. Add salt to taste.
Place your potatoes into a casserole dish and heat in oven uncovered to keep warm while meatloaf finishes.

February 13, 2020 1

Shrimp Scampi with Vermicelli

I’ve been making shrimp scampi for a few years now. I’ve had my fair share of over cooked shrimp in my day, and so the biggest hint for this meal is to add precooked shrimp just long enough to get hot, but not long enough to cook much. I also added a bit of lemon this time, and it was delicious! I highly recommend. Toward the end, I also added some oil, but you can also substitute in more butter instead, I just like to limit the butter I use. If you are using pre-minced garlic, you will have to add some garlic powder. It’s also not a bad idea to have mints or some dessert afterwards.

In a pot of water, boil 8 oz of pasta about 15 minutes until al dente.
In a bowl, add desired number of precooked shrimp. Defrost under lukewarm water and remove tails.
In a separate pot, add 5 Tbsp of butter, 3 Tbsp of minced garlic, 1 Tbsp minced onion, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, and 1/2 cup of pasta water. With 5 minutes left on the pasta, heat butter and seasoning over medium heat. Once all the butter is melted and bubbling, add 2 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and add shrimp. Stir in for 30 seconds, remove from heat. Let sit for one minute and strain pasta. If desired, add pasta to sauce and stir together, or just serve pasta and top with sauce. Top with parsley and parmasean.

February 12, 2020 1

Chicken Fajitas

A history of my life and Fajitas:
I was in love with McDonald’s Chicken Fajitas when I was a young child. I loved the flavors, and remember being filled up on one most of the time, but occasionally being able to eat two; they were so good. I went without another fajita until I was in my mid-teens when I stopped at a rest stop and the Quizno’s had a chicken fajita sub with lime. I had to get it, and it was so good. It tasted just like my childhood. I wasn’t able to have another Fajita until my Senior year of college when my then fiance had an apartment with a kitchen. In that kitchen I cooked many dinners. I cooked Easter dinner, steaks, a giant pot of mac & cheese, fry bread, granola bars, lemon mousse, and so much more. I got to borrow his kitchen every Friday night. That day when we were roaming around Dollar General, I found all the ingredients I had needed to make them, Chicken Fajitas. I bought everything frozen back then and only got the chance to make them two to three times, but that is the bases of what I’ve made today.

Actual information and hints for when/if you make them:

Please use non-stick if you have it. Melted/burnt cheese is one of the worst things to have to clean off a pot. You can also use frozen veggies (that’s what I used), but you can also chop fresh. You can also buy frozen pre-sliced chicken and it is just as good, just a bit less juicy. I had used Tyson Fully Cooked Grilled Chicken Breast Strips when I used to make them. They are good because they have a bit of flavor to them already. I have also used prepackaged shredded cheese, usually a mild cheese mix, but today I decided to do it a bit different with other cheeses. You pick whatever flavors you like. If you want spice, pick a monetary jack or pepper jack cheese. Want a mild flavor, pick mozzarella and cheddar mix. Something bold, go with a Munster or a sharp cheese. Today I split it 1:2 mozzarella and extra sharp cheddar. I also prefer heating my tortillas in a pan. It’s one of my favorite ways to heat them, but feel free to heat them as directed on the packaging. My oil is also brown in the first photo because I had used some butter in the pan, and because I had just used the pan to finish making breakfast sandwiches for the week.

Slice one chicken breast into 1/2 inch wide slices. Then, cut these strips into halves or thirds. If they chicken breast is really thick you will probably have to cut it in half that way too.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Half and slice 1 medium onion (1 cup). Half, clean, and slice 2 bell peppers (one green and red and about 2 cups).
Once the skillet is heated, add your chicken and cook until browned. Add veggies, 3 Tbsp of oil, and 2 Tbsp of water if you are using all fresh ingredients. If using frozen do not add additional water. Continue to cook until all veggies are soft.
Add 1/2 a cup of salsa, and 2-3 cups of cheese. Reduce heat to low and stir until combined and the sauce is thick. Turn to keep warm, or remain on very low heat.
In a skillet, Heat one tortilla at a time over medium high heat. Heat one side for 1 minute until hot to the touch. Flip, fill 1/2 of the way with filling (add more cheese as desired), wrap, then transfer to serving plate. Wait 5 minutes before serving and have extra salsa available for serving.

February 4, 2020 2

Homemade Pizza

Rolling out dough is probably one of the hardest tasks for me. I always have to roll it out with a rolling pin on my counter because no matter how much I try to hand toss it, I always tends to tear in the center. So, now I use a french rolling pin, and that helps me a lot. Otherwise, making pizzas are easy so long as you give yourself time to let the dough rise fully. To speed things up, you can also make the dough a day early. Also, since this recipe makes 2 pizzas, it’s a fun idea to make them with different toppings, but the world is your oyster! Do as you like!

Into a bowl, bloom 3 1/2 tsp of yeast (1 1/2 packets) with 1/2 cup of warm water.
Add 3 Tbsp oil, 6 cups of flour, and 1 1/2 cups of water. Mix into a dough, then let rest covered until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 400 F
Punch down dough, remove from bowl, and split in half.
Roll out dough into rounds about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. They should have a diameter of 14-16 inches.
Spray your pizza pan with non stick spray, if applicable, and place your pizza on top. If you are using a pizza stone, you can make it on your stone or your pizza peel.
To make my pizza sauce, open a small can (8 oz) of tomato sauce and add 1 Tbsp of garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp of onion salt, 2 Tbsp dried (or fresh) minced onion, and 1 Tbsp Oregano. (You’ll have to double this for both pizzas.)
Top each pizza with tomato sauce, 8 oz of mozzarella, and parmasean sprinkled over the entire top of the pizza and crust.
Bake for 20 minutes. Cut and serve.

January 30, 2020 1

Open Faced Venison Sandwich with Gravy

The other night I made open face venison sandwiches with gravy. Though we have 2 pieces on each of our plates, it was so much food even for us that we were only able to finish one each! The bread and gravy really help to stretch the meal and fill your stomach for very little money. We served this meal with a side of fettuccine with butter and herbs from Pasta Sides and canned carrots with butter.

These are the same venison minute steaks I had used before when I made minute steaks with peppers and onions. They are pieces of steak that were sliced on a meat slicer to be about 1/4 of an inch thick. I cooked them in about 2 Tbsp of oil at a low temperature for a longer time to try and tenderize the meat and maybe melt some of the fat. In total I cooked the venison for 15 minutes over medium-low heat, melting in 1 Tbsp of butter at the end then letting it rest for 5 minutes while the pasta finished. Once it was finished, I served it over toast (since I freeze my bread) and smothered them with brown gravy that I had made from a gravy packet. This was a very filling meal that can feed 4 people.